


Me and You - Part 1

by HockeyMatchmaking



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 21:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HockeyMatchmaking/pseuds/HockeyMatchmaking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ah, just as I thought. You sir, are pregnant." The doctor nodded, proud of himself. I gasped, and thoughts swirled in my head. What? How could that be possible? I mean, the health teachers in high school had been pretty clear on that fact, but… I was a fucking NHL player. Fuck, how could I raise a child with my captain? My married captain? Shit, what would Eric say?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Me and You - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All of the events that occur in this story are, quite obviously, fictional. 
> 
> This is an unbeta'd work.
> 
> I know that a lot of people don't like mpreg, so don't read if it bothers you...

It all started with vodka, after that night I swore off of alcohol altogether. Although, I would not drink for quite a few months for an entirely different reason. I knew it was a bad idea to go to the Hurricane's playoffs party, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a few drinks and hang out with Eric and his new wife. I spent the night close to Eric's side, and once his wife said she wanted to go home, and consequently left, he stayed and started drinking more and more. The vodka was what did it though, in the end. Too much vodka, and not enough sense. That dreadful night I slept with my captain, and friend, Eric Staal.

"Nggh. Jeff, Jeff, do that again." Eric moaned as I licked up the side of his cock. I suppose I wasn't any less drunk than he was, but to that fact we were in Cam Ward's guest room, our clothes strewn across the room, and our huffing breath mingling in the cool air. Why the fuck did Cam keep his house so cold? Or had Eric opened a window? I wondered, but then Eric pulled out a bottle of lube and I forgot what I was thinking entirely.

"Wait. Maybe this isn't a good idea." I mumbled, as my captain fumbled to coat his fingers with lube. Eric just grumbled and kissed me roughly again, I leaned into the kiss for a moment, then struggled to follow the sober thought I'd just had. "Wait, no. But… your wife." I groaned as he shoved a finger inside me. My captain just huffed and mumbled something, adding a second finger.

After the third finger he pulled out and I moaned with want and anticipation. He hurried to coat himself, and then quickly began pounding into me. All rational thoughts fled my mind as Eric groaned above me. We panted and I moaned his name as he hit a certain spot, deep within me. "Jeff, fuck, yeah. Yeah." He murmured a moment later, his breath hitching as he drew close.

A moment later his cum filled me and I sucked in a breath as he rode out the aftershocks, a moment later I was coming all over Cam's guest bed, pleasure sweeping through my body in waves. We fell into a post-orgasm sleep, and woke up a number of other times in the night to have drunken sex.

The next time I woke up, sunlight was streaming into the room and my whole side was inexplicably warm. What? My hungover mind couldn't produce an answer to the question of what had happened last night. Then I looked over and saw him lying next to me. "Fuck." The expletive slipped out of my lips as I felt the dried cum on my legs, and underneath me. "Shit." I mumbled again, trying to slip off the bed without waking him. What would Eric say? Shit, what would Cam and his wife say? I winced as the bed creaked and Eric rolled over onto his back.

"Mmm. Tanya." He mumbled in his sleep and I got up in one smooth motion. I was pulling on my pants quietly when Eric's eyes snapped open and he stared at me in confusion. I winced as the force of his unfocused gaze raked over the room. "What the fuck did we do?" He murmured, and I tried to look contrite.  
"Uh…I think-" I started, but Eric interrupted me with a groan. "Never mind. Never mind. Just, uh, forget it, okay?" He pleaded, getting up to find his own clothing.

I found myself staring at his ass for a moment before I pulled myself out of that particular train of thought. I hurried out of the room and made a run for the front door, but unfortunately Cam and his wife were sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. "What happened to you two?" The goalie inquired, quirking an eyebrow as we passed by. "Nothing. Got drunk, fell asleep in the spare room." Eric rumbled under his breath, and Cam laughed. "No way." He chuckled, "You and the rookie?"  
I blushed and Eric decidedly ignored the goalie, pulling his shoes on with purpose. I quietly got my shoes on as Cam laughed and laughed. "By the way, Staaler. You've got, um, a little something on your shirt." The goalie added as we slipped out the door, and Eric groaned, noticing the cum stain on the front of his shirt.

"Um." I'd gotten a ride to the party with Eric, but I didn't really want to sit in the car with him for that long when we could barely meet each other's eyes. "Here. Get a taxi." My captain grumbled, throwing a twenty at me, which I caught. Eric hurried off without another word, leaving me standing in front of Cam Ward's house, with a twenty in my hand and the strange feeling that I'd become a prostitute without even knowing it.

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The next team practice, we could still barely look each other in the eye, and every time Cam saw either of us, he'd crack up laughing. The rest of the team was confused by our behaviour, but at least Cam didn't gossip about it. The awkwardness remained until we were out of the playoffs altogether, and that summer I didn't have much time to focus on our problems since I caught some kind of mysterious bug.

I spent all my free summer time with my head in a toilet, so to say that I was tired and irritated by the time checkups for the next season came around didn't cut it. So when the doctor told me he was sending me to a specialist, I yelled at him. I may have said something about 'doing his job' and 'fixing me', but I had a right to be angry. I'd spent the last two and a half months throwing up, and all I wanted to do was play hockey. Was that so much to ask?

Even though we were awkward with each other ever since that night, Eric insisted on going to the specialist with me; 'doing his captainly duty' he said. I believed that he thought he should be there to support one of his teammates, but I really didn't want to have to make small talk with him. So I sat in one of the hospital chairs, my arms crossed over my chest, staring at the wall until the nurse brought me into the examination room.

Eric stayed out in the waiting room as I went in to see the doc. "Your boyfriend?" The nurse inquired, handing me one of those blue hospital gowns, and I frowned, but she was gone and I couldn't ask what she meant. The doctor came in a moment later and went over my symptoms, writing furiously on the clipboard of his. "Alright sir. We just need to get a small sample of blood from you, and then we'll be able to diagnose with 90% certainty." He said, sounding formal. Then he took my blood and handed it to the nurse, who took it out of the room, presumably to preform whatever tests they were going to on it.

"Have you had sexual intercourse with another man in the past five months?" The doctor inquired, looking over his glasses at me, and I jerked, taken aback. "What? Why?" I asked, confused. Why would that pertain to my illness? The doctor gave me a look of pity as the nurse returned with a paper containing the results of my blood work.

"Ah, just as I thought. You sir, are pregnant." The doctor nodded, proud of himself. I gasped, and thoughts swirled in my head. What? How could that be possible? I mean, the health teachers in high school had been pretty clear on that fact, but… I was a fucking NHL player. Fuck, how could I raise a child with my captain? My married captain? Shit, what would Eric say?

I vaguely heard the doctor tell me to put my head between my knees, and I did so, my breath coming in short, harried gasps. Of course, since I obviously have the best luck in the world, that was when Eric walked in. "You almost done, Jeff? Cause I gotta go pick Tanya up from work." He stuck his head in the room, and then hurried a few more steps in when he saw the position I was in.

Through the rushing sound that was reverberating in my ears, I heard the doctor give Eric instructions. "Your friend has just heard some news, and it'd probably be best for him to go home. Can you watch him for a few hours to make sure he's taking the news alright?" The doc asked, and Eric nodded, dumb-founded. "What's wrong with him, doc?" My captain inquired, and I sat bolt upright, grabbing his sleeve as I tried to stop the doctor from talking.

But of course, since I'm Jeff Skinner, that didn't work. The world seemed to narrow and spin as the doctor looked confused for a moment then said, clear as day, "Why, he's pregnant of course." Eric looked shocked for a moment, but then he turned to look at me as though I'd betrayed him; and it was all just to much. The world spun as the static drowned everything else out, and my vision faded to black.

I woke to the movement of a car, my cheek leaning against something cold. I quickly sat up, confused by the change in scenery. When I looked over, I saw Eric driving with his hands gripping the wheel so tightly they were white, and his lips pressed into a thin line. "Wh-what?" I mumbled, running a hand through my hair, and then I remembered all the shit that had happened.

My hands quickly went to my stomach as I thought of the child inside. Fuck, it would be over 4 months old. I'd been carrying it in my stomach for almost 4 and a half months. Could they even abort babies that were that old? I wondered, and my stomach revolted at the idea of aborting my child. My parents were gonna be so furious for me at getting knocked up so young. 18 and pregnant, what had my life turned into?

"I'm sorry." Eric murmured, his hands grasping the wheel even tighter. I looked at him like he was crazy for a moment, and then I replied. "No, uh, it takes two to tango, right?" I chuckled weakly at my pathetic joke. My hands curled into the fabric that protected my child, and I fought tears as Eric stared at me with despairing eyes. I looked down, since I couldn't stand to look at him anymore. Eric pulled into his driveway, and once he turned the car off, I kept waiting for him to get out. My gaze stayed unwaveringly staring at my feet as Eric groaned and closed his eyes.

A moment later, the soft sound of sobbing filled the car, and my arms tightened around my stomach. I didn't realize I was the one who was crying until my tears started dripping into my lap. My vision blurred as a surprised hiccup escaped my lips. I reached up to wipe away the tears, and my hand slipped on the slick surface of my face. My hands scrabbled for purchase and the pain distracted me for a moment, so I went to repeat the motion.

A steely grip pulled my hand away from my face, and a surprisingly soft hand grabbed my chin, bringing my eyes up to meet Eric's. "Shh. Shh. It's okay, Jeff. It's okay." He whispered, and he pulled me into a light embrace, letting me cry on his shoulder for a while. I made an effort to stop crying; man up! I told myself, and as my tears slowed, I sat up, shaking a little as I wiped away the last vestiges of my tears.

"I'm sorry, I-I…" I mumbled, sniffling a little, and Eric sighed. I closed my eyes and tried to control myself as the other man put his head in his hands. "I guess we gotta go tell Tanya." Eric finally muttered, and I gasped. "What? No?!" I said, maybe a little louder than I should have, and he just gave me a look of pure exhaustion. "We gotta tell her sometime, and I mean, uh. Oh, let's just go." Eric opened the door, and practically leapt out of the car before I could stop him. I wiped my nose on my sleeve and contemplated sitting in the car to wait, but then I realized I shouldn't leave Eric to bear the burden of telling his wife that I was pregnant.

I carefully opened the door to find Eric wrapped up in Tanya's arms, hugging her like he'd never see her again, and I felt like I was intruding on a special moment as they slowly broke apart. Eric obviously hadn't told Tanya yet, since she had a look of confusion on her face when she saw me.

"Oh hello Jeff, uh, what-" Tanya murmured, her arms still wrapped around Eric, and he looked almost guilty as he pecked her on the forehead. Jealousy swept through me as I saw them, so happy together, and my arms came up to wrap around my stomach once again. My eyes filled with tears, and I looked down, blinking furiously to dissuade the tears from falling.

Eric sighed again as Tanya made a noise of confusion, it was sad, because she was a really nice girl, and I'd been so happy for Eric when he'd married her. "I-I, uh. We, erm, we gotta talk to you." Eric mumbled, being the responsible guy that he is. "It's okay Eric, I'll go. Stay, stay with her." I said clearly, my throat clogging up with tears as I stared at his ridiculous green carpeting.

I looked up then, meeting Eric's wide blue eyes with my own watery ones, I implored him to understand what I meant just through my gaze. I wanted him to stay with her, and I'd look after the child on my own. I accepted that. I turned around to leave, as the pair stood dumb-founded, but then Eric hastily undid all the work I'd just put into his relationship.

"Jeff's pregnant. And uh, it's mine." He mumbled quickly and Tanya took a step backwards. "What? Eric?" She said, staring at my stomach disbelievingly. "We were drunk." I mumbled, blushing as I tried to defend the other man. Tanya looked like she was about to scream, or throw up, I wasn't particularly sure. Her harsh gaze made me want to turn away so that I could protect my baby from her.

A moment later they were screaming at each other, as I stood there with my hands over my stomach. I didn't know if I should do something, because they both sounded furious. But then a moment later there was a knock at the door, and I miserably answered it, and of course, it was Jordan Staal. Go figure, it always was exactly the person who didn't need to be there.

He smiled at me, as though I didn't look freaked out of my mind, and asked if Eric was there. "Um, I don't think it's the best time." I murmured, and Jordan frowned, noticing the tear streaks on my face. I struggled not to cry in front of the man as Eric yelled at his brother. "Why not! Come on in Jordan. Help me explain this to Tanya!"

Jordan hesitated, torn, but then he reluctantly stepped inside and took off his shoes, always the polite houseguest. "What's going on?" He inquired, his gaze shifting from my distraught face to Eric's fury and Tanya's upset. Eric laughed, a harsh bitter laugh, and I flinched, knowing that this was all my fault. I really just wanted to retreat home and maybe drown myself in my bathtub, but I knew I couldn't leave. Eric needed me to be here for him.

Tanya stomped her foot and I winced again, flinching closer to the wall as everyone seemed to get even angrier. No one else offered up an answer, so Jordan just looked confused until I explained it. "I, um, am pregnant. It's Eric's." I mumbled, and Jordan's face shifted to disbelief. I shifted uncomfortably as all three sets of eyes glared at me for one moment.

"I-I can just…you don't have to do anything, Eric." I pleaded once again, trying to hold myself together as the unshed tears threatened to fall. My hands inadvertently came back to my stomach, as though holding onto the baby was all I could do with them anymore. Eric's expression shifted minutely, and then the yelling started again. Finally, after a moment of more screaming, I swayed on my feet and slowly sank to the floor, all my blood seemingly gone from my body. Everything felt light and floaty as Jordan's face swam in front of my vision.

I heard him say something, and then strong arms lifted me up and I whimpered, the world spinning and floating. Static swam in front of me, and I gulped, trying not to faint. After a moment, my vision cleared and I found myself lying on a couch, three concerned faces surrounding me. "I-I'm f-" I started, but then bile rose up my throat and I threw up on the floor next to the couch.

I coughed and hacked for the longest time, the stomach acid burning my throat on the way up. But then, mercifully, it finally stopped and I could lie back, resting for a moment. "Nggh." I groaned and someone handed me a washcloth, which I took in a shaking hand. I wiped off my face and realized they were all still staring at me, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I-I'm okay." I stuttered, feeling even more exhausted than I had before. Things seemed so awkward that I closed my eyes, decidedly ignoring the tense people around me. After a moment, my exhaustion caught up with me and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up, hazy about what had happened. Then I remembered the yelling and I sat bolt upright, a moan escaping my lips as the world spun for a moment. "Jeff. You okay?" Eric murmured, sitting up from where he'd been slouching on the chair. I opened my mouth to talk, but all that came out was a croak, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Yeah. You guys okay?" I mumbled, and Eric glanced past me, I turned around to see Jordan and Tanya sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly.

I leaned my cheek against the armrest, desperately wishing that Eric would just come over and give me a hug. I wished we had the sort of relationship where he'd just hug me and whisper that everything would be okay while I hung on to him. "Yeah, I think we've got everything worked out." He whispered, running a hand over his face, and he looked so huggable that I got up carefully off the couch.

"Woah man, where are you going?" Eric protested, but I leaned over and hugged him for a moment, inhaling the scent of warmth and home that seemed to emanate off his skin. He was quiet for a moment, but he didn't make a move to hug me back, so I sat back down on the couch, blushing furiously. "I, uh, that's good." I mumbled, looking away, and when I looked back Eric was staring at me. "You worried us there." He stated, looking haunted, and I ducked my head. "Sorry." I mumbled, and then I wondered what they'd decided.

Obviously Eric and Tanya would stay together, that was a given, but I wondered what he'd do about the baby. "Um, what-what are we gonna do?" I asked, and Eric's gaze shifted from my face down to my stomach, where our baby rested. "Uh, well Tanya and I are gonna split up. And uh, I guess my parents are gonna want us to get married." Eric kept his gaze away from mine as I tried to process what he'd just said.

"What?" I squeaked, marriage? No. He and Tanya were made for each other, they had to stay together! "Um, yeah." Eric twisted his hands nervously and I looked into his eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Eric. I don't wanna come between you and Tanya, you guys don't have to…you know." I mumbled, stroking my stomach absentmindedly.

Eric just looked worried as he rustled around, and then flopped down on the couch next to me. I could feel the heat of his body near my leg and it felt nice, warm, like coming home to the fireplace. "I-I wanna be there for it-the kid-and, uh, it wouldn't be that bad to be married to you." He mumbled, blushing, and I frowned. What did he mean, 'wouldn't be that bad'? "I-I, uh, I'm glad." I smiled tentatively, and Eric reached over to grab my icy cold hand in his warm one.

"So, uh, Tanya's gonna move out, um, this weekend. And then I guess you can bring your stuff over, or whatever." He murmured and I leaned my head on his shoulder, he stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed, and one of his arms lightly encircled my body, drawing me into a light hug. "Okay." I murmured, and I felt so happy there that I felt bad for poor Tanya, who must be upset.

I sat up after a moment of enjoying being close to Eric. I needed to go see if she was okay with this plan, and Eric protested as I got up, but I drew the comfy blanket around my shoulders and slowly walked out to the kitchen. "Uh, Tanya? Are you okay with this?" I mumbled, looking at the frazzled woman. Jordan looked up at me too as I walked in, the concern in his eyes making me feel bad. Everyone was looking at me like I was made of glass, and it kinda pissed me off a little. It wasn't like I'd protected this baby just fine for the past four and a half months, I didn't need their pity, or worry now.

"It's alright Jeff." Tanya murmured, and I looked down, twisting the blanket in my hands as I tried to think of how I could apologize to the woman. "I'm so sorry." I mumbled, my eyes watering again, I focused on plucking some errant strings off of the blanket in an effort to avoid the pitying looks everyone was shooting me.

I sat carefully on one of the unused chairs, and Eric sighed, but sat next to me. "Uh, so…" Jordan murmured, his eyes downcast as I fidgeted with the edge of the blanket some more. "Yeah." I whispered, and I had to wipe tears off my face again as I imagined how much things were gonna change. "I…I think you guys'll be good." Tanya muttered, looking anywhere but at me, and I remembered how painful this whole thing was for her. "Sorry." I mumbled again, and Eric shifted uncomfortably beside me.

"So. I'm just gonna go. I don't think you need me for anything else, right bro?" Jordan asked, getting up, as though he wanted to dash out the door, but was restraining himself. Eric nodded, his lips still pressed in that same thin white line that they had been hours ago.

Tanya and I stared at each other for a moment as the brothers hugged. Eric sat back down with a sigh and I stood up, carefully. "Um, I'll go too." I mumbled, setting the blanket carefully over the back of the chair. He looked alarmed as I moved to go, so I spun back around to face Eric, and I moved to quickly, cause the world spun for a moment yet again. "Nggh." I groaned, pitching forward a bit, and strong hands reached out to catch me carefully.

"Nope." Eric murmured against my hair, and he lead me to the couch, my body seemingly exhausted by all the emotions. "You rest." He whispered and my eyes closed slowly and I faded off to sleep.

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The next two days passed in a whirlwind of emotion, and I slept most of the time, as Tanya packed her things and left. Eric forced me to stay at his house, since I was still shaky and weak. I felt mostly better though, and soon I had to face the fact that I should tell my parents. We waited another couple of weeks to tell them, but then Eric insisted that we tell our parents in person, separately of course, so we flew out; first to Toronto to visit my parents, and then to Thunder Bay, to see Eric's.

My parents were, to say the least, unhappy. Although once Eric let his intentions (yeah, I don't even know) known, they simmered down a bit, and we tried to leave out the part where I was just his drunken one-night stand. My mother made me promise to send them ultrasound pictures, and she said that they'd fly down to see me once I got farther along.

Then we got in a car and started driving, my nerves building with each kilometre. My anxiety manifested itself in the form of puking, so we had to stop every 10 km or so, for me to get out and retch into a bush. Finally I put my hands over my stomach and willed the child inside to stop making its presence known, and Eric laughed. "Are you really talking to it?" He smiled, and I stuck out my tongue. "Fine. You're daddy's being mean, but he wants you to stop too, okay?" I murmured, and when I looked back up, Eric was staring at us fondly.

A wave of anxiety swept through me again, and my grip around my stomach tightened. "Ummm…Maybe this is a bad plan." I muttered, looking away as my stomach attempted to reject the air in it. Eric glanced over at me sharply, and then pulled the car over, abruptly. I leapt out to cough up bad smelling air into a bush as he looked on from the car, concern evident in the lines of his face.

I got back in the car a moment later, and his grip on the wheel tightened as he asked "What do you mean?" I frowned, and thought about how to answer that. "Um…I really, really am not looking forward to meeting your parents." I admitted, and then I quickly backtracked. "Uh, no. Not that they aren't nice people I'm sure, just, you know. I, uh…" I mumbled and Eric pulled over to the side of the road again, this time to talk to me, not so that I could throw up, thank God.

"My parent'll love you, I promise." He murmured softly, his hand reaching up to stroke my face, and I gulped. "Yeah, but, uh, what if…I dunno, what if they…they don't want to know the baby." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Eric's gaze softened even more. "Of course they'll wanna know the baby too. Listen Jeff, if my parents are gonna get mad at anyone it'll be me, okay?" Eric mumbled and I looked down, not quite sure that I believed him.

He sighed again, and leaned over to kiss me; the first time he'd done that since our drunken night. I murmured something softly against his lips, which I'm sure he didn't hear, and then we kept on driving. Fortunately things didn't get awkward after the kiss, cause I couldn't handle it if things got any more awkward than they already were.

We were quieter on the rest of the drive, and my stomach settled down a bit, as though the baby listened to Eric and not me. When we drove into Thunder Bay, my stomach flipped again and I bit my lip to stop myself from making a noise. I couldn't help the whine that escaped when we parked in Eric's parent's driveway though, and he just gave me a look of sympathy, sighed, and got out of the car without another word.

He knocked on the door as I wearily got out of the car, throwing up that many times hadn't particularly made me feel chipper and happy, but I put on a small smile. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to look happy or not, but I tried to look contrite and mildly happy anyways. At least if Eric's parents threw me out, I could probably fly home instead of getting back in that damned car.

"Hey mom." Eric mumbled, leaning in to hug his mother tightly; I hung back in the doorway, not sure if I should go in or not. Then Mrs. Staal leaned around her tall son and motion me in, smiling. "Ah, so you're Jeff. Come in, come in." she said, and I hesitated once more, but stepped inside, closing the door behind me. I barely resisted folding my hands back over my stomach, but I didn't know if that was to obvious, I mean, Eric's mom did have 4 boys, she probably could spot a pregnant person from a couple of kilometres away.

Mrs. Staal began blabbering to her son about people that they obviously knew, as I stood there, feeling awkward. I wondered if Eric had felt like this at my house, so incredibly out of my element, and out of place. Like the apple in with the oranges. I frowned at the analogy, when my stomach protested, and I hurriedly mumbled an excuse, running to find a sink, or washroom to throw up in.

Eric followed me, like a puppy dog, as I turned the corner and spotted a garbage can within reach. I grabbed it, and retched into the thing, throwing up the energy bar that I'd eaten in the car. Yeah, obviously this baby didn't like car rides. It also obviously wanted everyone to know about it, since Mrs. Staal was peering over her son's shoulder, with a frown on her face, like she was in the process of decoding a puzzle.

Finally the feeling passed, and I stood up again, a little woozy. "I'm sorry." I blushed, scuffing my feet on their carpet as I realized how rude I'd been. "No problem dear, don't take to travelling too well, I see?" Eric's mother asked and I nodded, looking away. Yup, the understatement of the year, that one. Fucking cars.

She cheerily informed us that her husband, Eric's father, was away at a darts tournament, but he'd be back for supper. She toured me around the house, pointing out key locations such as the guest bedroom (where we'd be staying?) and the bathroom. Eric had told them he had some news, and when his mother walked out to the kitchen to find us a snack I hurriedly asked him if he wanted to tell her before he told his father. "Yeah." Was all the response I got, and I rolled my eyes at his monosyllabic answer just when Mrs. Staal returned.

"So, uh, mom. We have some…news?" Eric mumbled looking down and his mother raised an eyebrow. "Speak up dear, what did I teach you about muttering?" She tutted, tapping her finger against her arm. I almost laughed at that, but the situation was so awkward already, I didn't really want to make it any worse. "Um. Yeah. So, uh, where do I start?" Eric looked at me, and I shrugged, panic filling me. Where the fuck would you start? 'Yeah, so mom, Jeff and I got drunk and fucked, and now he's pregnant' would not be the best way to initiate conversation.

I glanced away and his mother looked pointedly at my arm. Whoops. I'd gotten so used to having a hand over my stomach, that it rested there sometimes without me telling it to. The last few weeks that had become my default position, as I tried to protect the baby inside from the world. The loose sweater that I wore wasn't enough protection for the little thing, it needed far more protection and comfort than clothing could provide. I mean, it was stuck in my body for the next 4 months, right? The least I could do was make it feel loved.

"Does this have something to do with you and Jeff?" Mrs. Staal prompted, and Eric turned bright red. His words tumbled out of his mouth, and as she analyzed his answer, her mouth opened a wee bit farther. "JeffspregnantandIdunnowhattodo." He had said, my own mouth popped open as Eric gave me his first indication that he had just as little idea of what was going on as I did. He was just as frightened about this as I was, I realized, and it made me want to hug him. But his mother was right there, and that wouldn't have been right.

"Uh. So you and Jeff are together, and Jeff's pregnant." She clarified, and he hesitated, but nodded. I frowned at the 'together' part, but nodded at the last bit. "And what about Tanya?" Mrs. Staal crossed her arms, and Eric blushed again. "Uh, she um, wants a divorce." He murmured, biting his lip and I looked down. This was my fault, all my fault. No one else could have caused such a messed up situation, only me. Fuck.

"And…you're happy?" Eric's mother inquired, taking a step closer to her quivering son. "Yeah, I suppose." Eric mumbled, as though he wasn't sure what else to say, and I choked back a sob. I knew that Eric didn't love me, or anything. But I just wanted him to be happy with me. For him to not resent me. I never would have agreed to this if I'd thought he would resent me.

My eyes filled with tears against my will and I mumbled that I had to go to the bathroom. I got the fuck out of there as fast as I could, and I vaguely heard Eric's mom talking to him before I shut the bathroom door. It was remarkably easy to slide down the wall to the floor, and curl around myself, sobbing. A knock stopped my sobs and broke me out of my morose thoughts. I got up awkwardly, the bump on my stomach impairing my movement even now, and wiped the tears off my face.

Eric stood awkwardly in the doorway. "My mom thought I should come find you." He murmured and I glanced away. He couldn't just come look for me on his own, his mother had to tell him to, wonderful. He obviously cared such much about me. I thought sarcastically. "I'm fine." I mumbled, my voice catching a little, but otherwise working. "You're obviously not fine." He growled, stepping into the bathroom, and into my personal space.

He glared down at my tearstained cheeks, and I decidedly looked away. "I'm fine." I said, a little louder than I meant to, and Eric reached out carefully to rub his thumb over my cheek. "What's wrong? Please tell me what's wrong, Jeff." He whispered, and I sobbed a little at his words, my eyes filling back up with tears.  
I owed him the truth, I figured, so I put my hand over my stomach, hugged him, and then spilled my fears to him. "I want you to care about me." I whispered, my eyes downcast, I didn't want to meet his searching gaze and see the lack of emotion in his eyes, it would just be to painful. The confusion and the annoyed expression that were sure to follow my words would just be to much to bare.

"Jeff. Jeff." Eric whispered insistently, his hand reaching under my chin to lift my gaze to his. He boldly stepped forward and kissed me, one of his hands anchoring me in the small of my back, and the other dipping down to rest on the bump that housed our baby. "I love you." He murmured, and my breath made a slight whistling noise, as I drew in a quick breath of shock.

I was so happy to hear his words, I leaned forward and pulled him close, my hands reaching around his back. "I love you too, so much." I mumbled, hiding my face in his shoulder. Eric's strong arms wrapped around me, and I felt safe and at home for the first time in weeks. I knew that no matter what happened, we would be fine. Me, him, and our child.   
  
~End Part I

**Author's Note:**

> How did you like it?


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